-ToBy-
Los Angeles, CA | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF
Music
Press
ToBy is back! And better than ever with his latest project “El Prado Blvd”.
This 5-song EP leaves little to desire as the Miami-based rapper gifts audiences with an obvious exploration of mind and spirit- by way of rhythm and lyrics. Keeping to his familiar genre-defying sound, the 23 year old’s lyrical fluidity and conversational cadence of a 2013 Gambino aids him in breaking the boundaries of mainstream artistry.
In this particular project, ToBy’s influences are tangible; as both his personal aesthetic and music itself present a wide range of flavors as techno meets rock meets neo 90’s hip hop DJ, meets anime. The combination is wonderfully dizzying- leaving you wanting more, fitting together into one balanced package.
The perfect soundtrack to summer, “El Prado Blvd” bounces between soothing melody to headbanging backtrack- creating a concoction of rhythm that leaves energy high and thrists quenched.Check out the new EP below!
By Cree B. McClellan, AFROPUNK contributor - AFROPUNK
Miami genre-defying rapper ToBy’s new video is loosely based on Joseph Cambell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces, and challenges the way young people today are so distracted by their phones that having an “in real life” conversation is nearly impossible. - AFROPUNK
Miami-heralding rapper ToBY dropped his latest and hopefully first of many all new mixtapes packed full of addictive jams. These songs are produced entirely by Datakrash (also known as SAVANT) and have an outrageously intricate flair to the production that’s both playful and utterly flawless. ToBY’s vocals are distinct and cut like a sharpened samurai sword — he’s part hip-hop and rap, part R&B, part satire, and all electronic. It feels like he’s taking digs at cliché rap culture while nailing highly relatable and at times in-your-face anthems.
Dive in below and if you’re not sure where to start, try “Clockwork” and you’ll be hooked instantly — enjoy! - NEST HQ
Miami’s ToBy teamed up with Oakland’s Soviet Beats for his What The Future Told Me EP, a glorious testament to how creative Internet rap can get. The EP opens with a hypnotic, sexy female computer voice telling us what the future told her – that we are without limitation, before hitting us with some real rhymes backed by beats oscillating between rapid fire rhythem and heavy, lazy progressions. The track was posted with the following quote attributed to someone named Morgan Smart:
“we may not ever go to the moon, we may never see a single star…one day if music no longer exists, I know you’ll still be my favorite melody. at least, that’s what the future told me.” Listen and perhaps the future will speak to you too. - NEST HQ
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
"With his patterned enunciations and rhythmic commentary reminiscent of an early Childish Gambino, the messages throughout his multi-layered orchestrations provide an entertaining platform for connection and influence." – AfroPunk
“ToBy’s vibe is so real and relatable I can’t help but get sucked into his poetically poignant world. It’s a moody and melancholy production but the vocals oscillate between resigned despair and visceral angst.”– Nest HQ
-ToBy- is the musical alias of, Reggie Baril, a multimedia artist from Miami and member of the BARIKUDAxDEATHWISH rap crew. He graduated from Florida International University with a degree in Theatre and various collegiate level awards and nominations for his acting, playwriting, and directing.
ToBy began in high school where he recorded tracks for fun with his soon to be Grammy nominated producer friends, SMLE
In 2016 his music video "Gold", produced by CRAY and directed by Andrew Garcia, caught the attention of ZYON MGMT, home to the award winning Aleksander Vinter (Savant, Datakrash, Blanco).
ToBy followed this effort with The KUDA Live Band assisted El Prado Blvd https://open.spotify.com/album/02os3Si3yL7ftu62AJD05b?si=t3V27OgRSHO0_2kcxu1xCA.
In Feb 2018, ToBySeason Vol. 1 produced by Datakrash was released and ToBy was selected to be an official A3C performing artist after winning the "This Is My Year" contest with the help of his fanbase. His music video for "90's Babies" was featured on the black news and entertainment media outlet AFROPUNK and the mixtape went on to be featured by the OWSLA run NEST HQ publication. The end of 2018 saw the release of "ToBySeason: Genesis" (a compilation of singles and B-sides featuring production from Datakrash, SMLE, Kidd Addamz, The Kuda Live Band, and Tee-Watt), an opening performance slot on Open Mike Eagles "What Happens When I Try to Relax" tour, and a live performance staged by the indie concert company, Treehouse LA.
ToBy is currently playing shows across the country while working in the studio on his follow up project "ToBySeason Vol. II".
Band Members
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